Unfounded Affection
by Lukeprism
Summary: When he discovers something about his uptight twin, Rin Okumura sets himself off on a quest of epic proportions; attempting to woo his younger brother whilst completely disregarding the consequences. Okumuracest. Indefinite hiatus.
1. Quest Start

_**WARNINGS: Mentions of porn, language, sexual themes, ideologically sensitive material including but not limited to homosexuality and incest.**_

DISCLAIMER: Ao no (Blue) Exorcist isn't mine ya silly goose. 'Tis Kazue Katou's.

—**s—t—a—r—t—f—i—c—t—i —o—n—**

Yukio trudged up the stairs in the deserted dorm he shared with his brother and a couple familiars, briefcase in hand and usual stoic expression slightly downturned, resulting in an exasperated frown. He may have been done with the paid workday, but he still had much to do; grade papers for his cram school students, do some research on a couple things he'd been putting off and of course assignments for his regular school classes. On top of that, on the mission he'd just returned from, he'd been paired up with Shura Kirigakure, quite possibly the least work ethical person in the entire True Cross organization. She always managed to piss him off one way or another, and this time had been no exception.

Thus, one rather moody Yukio Okumura walked into his dorm room, registering his twin brother's presence as the shorter teen lay sprawled on his bed on the left of the room, reading something intently. He marched past him and set his briefcase on his desk, beginning to unbutton his heavy overcoat because he wanted to at least be comfortable before beginning the second phase of his daily work schedule. But he froze on the third button down, having just realized something.

Slowly he turned back towards Rin, who hadn't moved since Yukio's entry. In his hands he held a magazine which boasted scantily-clad women in very unorthodox poses on its cover. Rin himself seemed almost detached, regarding the thing with polite interest as he flipped through the pages. Yukio closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down.

"Rin."

"Mm?"

"Is that porn?"

"Yup."

The way he answered was so nonchalant, Yukio couldn't help the twitch of his eyebrows. "And you're reading it."

"Mhmm."

"And you've been here for how long?"

"Eh...like half an hour."

Yukio opened his blue-green eyes once more, pushing his glasses up his nose as he continued to remove his coat. "So what you're saying is you're reading porn while you could be studying for the test you have tomorrow or doing the homework I assigned you in class today."

Rin flipped the page. "Pretty much."

Yukio blinked, sliding the jacket off his shoulders and folding it over his arm. "I see."

The younger twin walked innocently over to Rin's side and, not at all interested in the magazine's nude contents, snatched it right out of Rin's lax hold, causing the older boy to jump. Yukio was able to keep it just out of the boy's reach as he sprang up after it, reaching around his brother as far as he could.

"_Hey_!" Rin snapped, eyebrows furrowing. "Dude, I don't care how bad you wanna see, we take turns with the porn!"

Yukio's face up until that point had been straight as ever, but now it twisted itself into something between irritation and exasperation. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I refuse to allow you to slack off so long as I can help it—_especially_ with something like this," he shook the offending material as he said it. "Where did you even get it?"

"From my personal collection," Rin replied flatly, having ceased his struggle. He now stood face to face with his younger brother, staring up at him with half-lidded eyes and arms crossed. "From Shima, where else? I'm almost done with it. I'll start studying or whatever as soon as I finish. C'_mon_."

Yukio frowned. "No."

Rin frowned. "Why not?"

"I'm your teacher."

"You're my brother."

"That doesn't make the situation any better!" Yukio snapped, voice louder than what was normal. "Really. You didn't even _try_ to hide it!"

"Why would I have? I'm fifteen years old, Yukio, of _course_ I'm going to have porn," Rin reasoned, crossing his arms.

Yukio looked his older brother in the eye. "What makes you think I want to see it?"

"Oh come _on_. Any normal teenager would be completely fine with a little boobage. ...unless..." Rin trailed off, eyes widening a fraction. He gasped. "You're gay, aren't you?"

Oh, how his brother came to the weirdest conclusions. Yukio, however, stepped back a bit. "H-huh? The hell are you talking about?" he defended, left hand clenching around the magazine it held. "Just because I don't waste my time drooling over some naked woman with fake breasts in a magazine doesn't mean I'm homosexual."

Rin just grinned, knowing he'd hit something good; Yukio didn't usually curse unless he got uptight about something...to try and avoid the point. "Oh really? So you wouldn't even consider the idea of kissing or dating or having sex with another guy?"

Yukio shut his eyes, and if he'd had a free hand to pinch his eyebrows together with, he would have. "No need to be vulgar." But after a few moments his eyes reopened, rather solemnly. "I don't place priority on either gender; it doesn't matter much to me, because there is, or should be, more to a relationship than just sex."

The solemn expression was quickly lost to an exasperated deadpan when Rin just stared up at him like he was having an epiphany. "...what?"

After a moment the older of the two just shook his head, smiling. "Ah, nothin'. But that was a great answer." To Yukio's surprise, Rin actually walked over to his desk, tail flicking around all the while, and sat down, beginning to dig around in a drawer for a pencil to, dare he think it, do his homework. "Oh, and you can throw that away. I don't want it anymore."

Yukio wondered very briefly where this sudden change in behavior had come from, but quickly decided to just take his blessings and not ask questions. "I thought you said it was Shima's?"

"It is."

Yukio sighed to himself before tossing the magazine back to Rin, turning on his heel to go hang his coat somewhere. "Just give it back to him or something."

When Yukio returned from somewhere, aka his side of their closet, decked out in his casual green v-neck sweater and black pants, he noted (incredulously) that Rin really was attempting to do his homework assignment, with his hair held back by the trusty clip and all. For the first time that day, Yukio smiled. Pulling his rolling chair out from his desk, he paused to give him a final glance before tucking into his own work. "Rin, if you need any help, just ask."

"Gotcha," he replied, not looking up from his notebook. "Thanks."

"Mm."

It was nearly four hours later, when Yukio was done with cram school grading and planning and mostly done with his regular school assignments that it happened. The younger twin was stretching back against his chair, multiple pops resounding across the room, when Rin walked back into the room, having showered and gotten ready for bed. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay now."

Yukio sat back up to face him. "Alright then, good night. Good job on your homework today, too." He turned to face one of the last assignments that required his attention on his desk.

No sooner had he picked up his mechanical pencil to write than did he feel hands on his shoulders and lips on his left cheek. Yukio flinched at the hot breath on his skin. "Good night," Rin muttered (Yukio could hear the grin in his voice) before he strode away just as quickly as he'd come.

His mind was blank for a moment before he twisted his head to look back at Rin, who was readying his bed like nothing had even happened. He returned his gaze to his desk, rubbing the spot where his twin had kissed him tentatively. That certainly was odd, as Rin hadn't ever done anything of the sort before, at least not since they were nine or so.

But Yukio knew wasting time wondering why was pointless when he still had work to do. Without a word, he resumed his diligent working, oblivious as to a set of brilliant blue eyes watching him from the bed on the left of their room.

That was the beginning of a Rin Okumura's epic quest.

An epic quest to capture his brother's heart.

—**e—n—d—c—h—a—p—t—e—r—**

_**A/N: Oh my goodness. This is silly. But I haven't really written a silly fic in a while, so here we go! A lot of Okumuracest fics I read feature Yukio as the one trying to woo, or the one topping or whatever. That's fine and dandy, but in my headcanon, Rin is definitely not as passive as some make him out to be. And so this fic is born.**_

And the porn idea came to me whilst reading volume 3 of the manga, hehe.

I know there's not mug yet, but leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. I'd appreciate it!

Thanks, and until next time! C:


	2. Plus Ten, Minus Twenty

_**A/N: No warnings for this chapter, really, except the ever-present twincest. I don't even think I cursed in this chapter! :O**_

DISCLAIMER: Nope.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

The minute Yukio stirred and began that evil cycle of waking oneself up hours earlier than one would like to be up, he felt that something was rather...off. He didn't exactly know what it was, but his senses rarely let him down, so he made sure to keep himself on his toes as he slid out from under his thin blankets, glasses pushed firmly up the bridge of his nose.

As he padded groggily over to the closet to grab his usual clothes before heading to the dorm's bathroom to ready himself for the day, he registered the absence of one elder twin brother, bed unkempt as ever. That wasn't unusual; Rin was normally up before him on every other day, always to either put finishing touches on their lunches or to whip up some kind of breakfast for them. Yukio fought the urge to drool, grabbing various articles of clothing he'd need to dress himself. Honestly, Rin's cooking ability just about made up for his stubborn and brash personality; _his one productive skill_, Yukio thought to himself with a smile.

Clothes in hand, the younger twin left their room, looking forward to whatever Rin had decided to make despite himself.

Meanwhile, down in the kitchen, the aforementioned teen whistled aloud to himself as he held the pan in one hand and the spatula in the other, in a good mood despite the time of day. A white apron rested atop his school uniform, though his jacket was hanging haphazardly off the back of one of the dining chairs, and his bangs were held back by the clip he'd gotten from Bon a while ago. Two eggs sizzled in the pan he held, while in another next to him bacon fizzled and popped and gave off the most tantalizing aroma...Oh how Rin _loved_ bacon.

But he knew exactly who loved it more, and was perfectly willing to use this to his advantage, for he was on a quest. No, he hadn't forgotten about it; Rin was dead-set on captivating his little brother. Why? He had no answer for that. There wasn't really a reason. He just..._wanted_ to. He loved Yukio, and the conversation they'd had the day before succeeded in persuading him to act upon his admittedly overly-intimate affection. He had no idea how Yukio would react, but that was half the fun in itself; did the secret enjoyment he got from playfully tormenting Yukio make him a sadist? His head told him yes, and he was completely fine with that.

Rin expertly slid the eggs out of the pan and onto the waiting plate, placing three strips of bacon beside them and began buttering the toast that he'd just retrieved from the toaster with a smile. _The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach_, Rin thought as he set the two pieces down on the ceramic dish, completing his twin's plate nicely. _And I just so happen to be True Cross Academy's resident iron chef. Lucky me~!_

The blue-haired half-demon began cracking a couple more eggs into a small bowl he also had sitting next to him, along with a few other assorted ingredients. "Ukobach," he called to the other demon in the kitchen, who was taking inventory on the dry ingredients stored in the adjacent cupboard. "Could you take this plate to the table real quick? Put it in Yukio's spot, please."

The red demon gave an affirmative little sound, floating over to Rin's side to pick the plate up before floating back off, towards the table to drop off said plate.

"Thanks, Bach," Rin looked back to wink at him devilishly (no pun intended, of course).

"**Riiiin!**" a high-pitched voice called out to him from a little ways away. Rin didn't need to tun around to recognize it's owner, grinning up at his shoulder before Kuro even landed on it, rubbing their faces together cutely. "**Whatcha cookin'? Smells delicious!**"

Rin laughed. "Hey, Kuro. Bacon n' eggs today, and I made some for you and Ukobach too!"

Kuro loudly meowed his approval. "**Yaaay! You're the best, Rin!**"

The teen chuckled. "Oh, I know."

It was at that point that Yukio walked into the kitchen, donning his exorcist uniform and all, the smell of bacon having reduced his thoughts to a mere animalistic must-eat-soon-lest-I-go-crazy mode. But he was able to snap himself out of this for a moment while he assessed the situation. Rin was wearing an apron. Commonplace. Rin was cooking. Okay, not strange. But what was he cooking? Eggs and bacon with toast? Bacon was understandable, as the two shared a passionate love of bacon that most others would find borderline creepy, but Rin didn't care for eggs much and preferred his bread untoasted. And usually Rin made what he wanted for breakfast, which was something Yukio couldn't argue with as he was the one cooking it. A glance at his plate made him even further question his brother's actions. His favorite style of egg had been cooked as well, a couple of sunny-side-up style eggs sitting on the plate sitting at his place on the table.

Rin looked back at him with a smile. "Well, good morning!" he cooed, expression turning slightly mischievous when he read Yukio's calculating look. "You look hungry. Good! There's plenty more bacon, too, so help yourself."

He may not have known what brought on this breakfast treat for him, but Yukio was definitely grateful for it. He shot his older brother a genuine smile. "Thank you, brother," he said as he pulled out his chair and sat down, grabbing the fork and knife that lay beside the plate. "Should I wait for you?"

Rin turned back to his own meal, secretly pleased with the smile he'd gotten. Yukio didn't often smile real smiles just for him anymore. "Nope, no need. You just eat up, Mr. Okumura," he replied breezily, flipping the mass of egg that had coagulated in the nonstick pan.

Yukio wasn't about to argue, as the bacon sitting right under his nose probably would have driven him insane. He tucked into his meal without hesitation, appreciating how well Rin could cook Western dishes. The eggs were just runny enough, the bacon just greasy enough, the toast just toasty enough. Needless to say, his grumpy early morning mood was replaced by a better, content mood.

A few minutes later, Rin was finished with his own plate, which donned an omelet along with strips of bacon and slices of untoasted bread. Sitting at his own spot across from Yukio, he grinned at the amount he'd already eaten: almost all of it, save for a last bite of egg and a bit of toast. "So I see you're diggin' the eggs."

Yukio was bright enough to see there was some kind of ulterior motive behind his twin's seemingly innocent actions, but he had enough tact to be unsuspecting and let Rin come out with it at his own pace. So he put on a smile. "That I am. Though I was expecting pancakes again."

Rin's tail flicked a bit behind him. "Well, I figured I'd make something for you today, since all we ever have are pancakes and waffles." Rin loved him some pancakes and waffles. But he was willing to put this aside to cater to his younger twin's wants. How selfless of him!

Yukio swallowed what was left of his meal and stood up slowly, gathering up all his empty and used dinnerware and utensils. "I see. Well, thanks for the meal...it was delicious." He walked over to the kitchen sink. "Your one productive skill, after all."

Rin knew it was an insult, but he also knew that his brother used it in jest, and thus he was obliged to laugh. "Productive and full of vitamin C!"

Yukio chuckled. "I think you mean protein."

Rin waved a hand nonchalantly. "Whatever, same difference," he claimed, stuffing a big bite of omelet into his mouth. "Sho, oo wokh uff a bih rayte dish merningf."

"...I'm not even going to try to decipher that."

Rin swallowed his food and tried again. "I said, so you woke up a bit late this morning."

Yukio glanced at his watch. "Ah, yes. There's nothing of utmost importance happening today, so I figured some extra sleep couldn't hurt." Blue-green eyes looked back at Rin, mesmerizing him for a moment. "Speaking of which, we'll have to leave in ten minutes. Be sure you're ready."

A cocky smirk found it's way to Rin's lips. "Aye aye, Cap'n!" he saluted his younger brother before going to take another bite of bread. "You can count on me~."

Yukio rolled his eyes. "Surely," he muttered before turning on his heel to leave the kitchen.

Rin watched his brother's retreating form with amused eyes. _Yes, that's alright. Leave. I've scored today's points already,_ he thought to himself. He turned back to his omelet with an empty fork, smiling to himself, ignoring the loud munching noises Kuro and Ukobach were making in the corner as they scarfed down slices of bacon. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was becoming downright obsessive about all this, but did he care? Not in the slightest. _Watch out, Yukio. I'm gonna make you fall so madly in love with me you'll hardly be able to stand it!_

_-asdfjkl;-_

"Okay, everyone, that's it. Time's up."

A few groans could be heard in the following shuffle of papers, the test now over. The groans had come from two people in particular—a Rin Okumura and Renzou Shima.

As Yukio came around to all the tables to collect the papers, Shima let his head hit the desk he sat in front of loudly. "_Guh_! That was terrible. I totally failed it!"

Konekomaru pat his shoulder comfortingly, attempting to bring the pinkette's spirits up a bit. "You can't say that when you don't know for sure," he tried, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Bon, who sat in front of them, shrugged his shoulders, arms crossed in front of him. "I offered to help you study."

"I tried to get you to help me out this morning!"

"Idiot! You can't learn this stuff in half an hour!"

Nearer to the front of the class, Rin leaned back in his chair, hair held back by the same clip he'd donned earlier that morning. He sighed. "To be honest, I did try studying last night. Yukio even offered to help, but..." He made a pouty face. "I don't think I did so hot either."

Shiemi smiled at him, as optimistic as ever. "Don't worry, Rin," she assured. "I'm sure you did okay!"

Yukio was back up at the front of the room again, shuffling the papers into a proper order. He put on a smile. "Well, we'll be finding out soon enough, now won't we?" he pointed out, voice deceptively sweet.

Shima gave him a look of despair, Konekomaru, Izumo and Bon raised eyebrows at his subtle warning, Takara looked as blank as ever, Shimei smiled back, oblivious to everything, and Rin crossed his arms, nodding in agreement.

"Anyway," he adjusted his glasses, moving on. "We've still got a bit of class time left before lunch break. Why don't we review a bit?" He folded his arms across his chest. "What is it that can be used to treat burns as well as slow the effects of a certain temptaint?"

The usual hands were raised within a few seconds; Izumo, Bon, and Konekomaru all had arms waving. But two others, to his mild surprise, were also raised. His attention was drawn to the front most table, seating Rin and Shiemi, both of whom's hands also shot skyward. Surprised, Yukio decided to give Rin a chance since the blue-haired teen literally _never_ attempted to answer questions (the fact that he didn't ever know anything nonwithstanding). "Okay. Okumura?"

The boy looked up at him with a solemn expression. He didn't answer right away, but when he did, Yukio's surprise quickly gave way to the typical well-that's-Rin-for-you mindset. "Rosemary."

Yukio couldn't blame Izumo when she burst into a laugh. "Rin, that's a cooking spice," he said.

Rin nodded. "Yep."

Yukio sighed. "And as a result is _incorrect_." He ignored Rin's '_ehhh_?' in favor of calling upon his neighbor. "Moriyama?"

The blonde straightened up. "Y-yes! It's Sancho!"

Yukio resisted the urge to facepalm. "...Moriyama, the actual name of the plant, not your nickname for it."

Her face fell. "Oh, r-right...well...uhm..."

The taller Okumura shook his head. "...right. Kamiki, if you could please help them out."

She nodded. "Sir! It's aloe!" she proclaimed, lowering her hand confidently.

Yukio nodded. "Precisely." He glanced at Shiemi and Rin, both of whom looked embarrassed and slightly pissed, respectively. "Let's try another question. What sort of temptaint does aloe slow the effects of?"

This time only Izumo, Konekomaru and Rin's hands were up. Yukio narrowed his eyes a fraction. Rin again? Against his better judgement, he decided to give his twin a chance to redeem himself. It was a fairly easy question anyway, what with Rin having been present when that ghoul attacked Izumo and Paku, anyway. "Let's try again. Okumura?"

Rin looked determined this time as he clenched his fists. "A demon's temptaint, sir!"

Bon gave him a glare from behind, Konekomaru looked almost confused for a moment, and Izumo scoffed again. Yukio really did put his head in his left hand this time, not quite believing Rin's stupidity. "Obviously, Okumura. What I want to know is specifically, what kind of demon?"

"Oh, right!" Rin thought about this for a moment. "It's a...a coal tar's, right?"

Izumo could no longer contain herself. She flew out of her seat. "Moron! Coal tars aren't strong enough to even give a temptaint!" She turned to Yukio, trying to compose herself a bit. "Ghoul, Mr. Okumura, it's a ghoul."

Yukio fought the amused smile that threatened to form on his lips. "Correct, Ms. Kamiki, but please try to refrain from going off on other, less knowledgable students." He re-folded his arms. "Now let's try something different..."

For the next fifteen minutes, things continued like that. Yukio even made it a point to not call on Rin because his answers were usually either completely wrong or too simple to be accepted, but the teen would shout out his nonsense anyway, angering both Bon and Izumo and grating on Yukio's nerves. Really, if he didn't know any better, it was like Rin was deliberately seeking attention, though if that was what he was doing, it wasn't the right way to do it. Izumo looked about ready to murder, and to be frank, Yukio wasn't much farther behind.

Rin, on the other hand, was getting fed up with himself, too. _Damn_ his brain! Why couldn't he get any of this right? He had thought, what better way to impress Yukio than to answer some questions right? But he was just making a fool out of himself now, as his last answer had consisted of a modified explanation of how to tie one's shoe laces to describe the motion of summoning a higher level demon. Eventually he just stopped, sinking into his chair and crossing his arms like a child. _There go the points I scored this morning, and then some._

_BRIIING_.

Yukio looked up. "And that would be the bell," he observed, turning to his desk to gather up his things. "Class dismissed."

Rin took his time standing up, watching everyone else file out before him. Cock-comb (Bon) and Eyebrows (Izumo) shot him dark glances, glances which he answered with a deadpan expression. When he made to leave as well, though, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Yukio appeared at his side, wearing an expression a mother would wear to scold her misbehaving child.

"I don't know what that was, Rin, but I'd appreciate it if you refrained from messing around while I'm trying to teach in the future," he said simply, and Rin inwardly flinched at the iciness of his tone. Watching for the second time that day Yukio's retreating back as he exited the room, Rin realized something that he'd make sure to remember.

No one ever said this quest of his was going to be easy.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: Oh, Rin. Why you so silly? You get an A for effort from me, though~ And Yukio, why so serious? You're gonna bald prematurely~**_

Wahah, I have a good few ideas for this fic, which is why this update came so fast. Don't expect them to be so frequent in the future, my lovelies. Apologies in advance. I'll give you guys a hint though: Izumo's gonna play a role in all this. 'twill be expanded upon next chapter!

Thanks for the reviews! I love you all that did so~ here, have a cookie! And be sure to leave a review now if you haven't already! It can be as pointless as you want; they still motivate me almost as much as bacon motivates Yukio! -trollface-

To be continued. Maybe. No, seriously. Stay tuned. C:


	3. Unlikely Ally Acquired!

_**A/N: Proud to say the first thing I watched in 2012 was Ao no Exorcist, episode 17! Gahahah. Yukio in his (briefs lolol no surprise there) underwear ftw.**_

WARNINGS: Rather vague description of BL (you'll see), some cursing, a disappearing granola bar (OTL) and some indirect twincest.

DISCLAIMER: How kind of you to ask! No, I don't own Ao no Exorcist/Blue Exorcist.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

Rin stared at himself in the mirror almost blankly as he brushed his teeth in the dorm's bathroom, having gotten up earlier than usual that morning. Yukio had to be at the cram school forty minutes early for some kind of staff meeting or something, and while it had nothing to do with Rin, the boy wanted to walk to school with his brother. He was still trying to get on his good side after yesterday's screw ups, anyhow.

He spat in the sink, rinsing the stuff out with the water and setting his toothbrush back in it's holster. After he rinsed his mouth out he tried and failed to stifle a yawn. He could probably use those extra forty minutes of sleep, though.

He trudged downstairs and into the kitchen, straight past a slightly confused Ukobach and into their big pantry to grab a couple granola bars, since they didn't have time to make any breakfast. Closing this door, he spotted a fully dressed and ready to go Yukio, fiddling with his keys.

Rin called out to him. "Yukio, catch!" the teen warned, tossing his younger brother one of the bars.

Yukio glanced up at him and caught the makeshift breakfast in his right hand, inspecting it before shooting Rin a half-smile. "Thanks."

Rin returned his expression threefold. "Yep!"

Pocketing his keys, he grabbed his briefcase and unwrapped the bar halfway, taking a small chunk of it into his mouth. "Are you ready to go?"

Rin slung both Kurikara and a light school bag over his shoulders. "Ready when you are, teach."

Yukio rolled his eyes but walked down the hall anyway, up to the entrance to their all but deserted dorm. The two exited, and Yukio locked the door behind them before they set off, toward the academy that loomed over them to the north.

Rin smiled a little to himself at Yukio's habits. He had the cram school key with him, yet he _insisted_ on walking to the actual academy itself to use it instead of just using it at the dorm, claiming it was good exercise or something. How trivial.

But Rin had no room to complain. It just meant more quality time spent with his twin. What else could he ask for?

As they walked across the basically deserted campus, Rin had a sudden desire to hold his twin's hand; and he didn't care how stupid and girly it sounded, he was _going_ to do it. Or, that's what he told himself. Rin observed with a slight frown that Yukio had one hand holding his briefcase and the other holding his granola bar, and he wasn't the fastest at walking and eating at the same time, so he'd probably be carrying it the whole way. And Rin wasn't about to ask him to hurry up and eat it or something, as it was both rude and somewhat creepy. So the bluenette contented himself with walking next to the taller boy, perhaps a bit closer than what was necessary.

"I have a question, Rin," Yukio started suddenly, still absently nibbling on the breakfast bar of his.

Rin jerked at his side in surprise, not having expected the conversation. "Eh? What is it?"

Yukio bestowed upon his a sideways glance, catching Rin's attention. "Why exactly did you feel the need to accompany me to the school this early? You could have just come later by yourself, like you always do."

Rin looked at him expressionless for a moment before grinning, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I like spending time with you," he answered honestly, watching Yukio's skeptical expression with amusement. "Plus, we're brothers, aren't we? We gotta stick together, through thick and thin! Any discomfort you go through, it's only right if I go through it with you! Y'know?"

The expression his brother wore clearly showed the doubt Yukio had that that had been Rin's true motives (when in reality that was pretty much the truth), but he gave him a crude smile nevertheless. "How chivalrous of you, brother."

Rin looked ahead, still smiling. "'s my middle name, bro."

After something like fifteen minutes' worth of walking, they reached a door that was apparently close enough to the main academy building that it was acceptable to use. Carefully pocketing the now-empty granola bar wrapper (because littering is bad, kids), he pulled out his jingling keyring and took about three seconds to locate and separate the proper key from the others. Insert, twist, open. It was a daily ritual for exorcists and cram school students alike.

"The meeting starts soon, so I'm heading there," Yukio stated, putting his keys away. They stood in the impossibly long, ornately decorated hallway that Rin had become intimately familiar with in the half a year he'd been there. "Don't go doing anything reckless or stupid, okay?"

Rin pouted at his younger brother. "Oi! Stop acting like you're the older brother here," he half-growled, walking past him. "Geez. I'll be on my best behavior, O Most High Teacher. Just get to your important meeting or whatever."

Yukio actually found himself feeling bad for making Rin react in such a way for a split second, but this quickly gave way to irritation at his demeanor. Why did he always act like a child? It became especially apparent when he got pissed at someone or something and tried to retort. He pushed his glasses up a bit, turning away to head in the opposite direction. "Well, one of us has to be the older brother, no?"

Rin didn't reply, ignoring the truth of his statement. Trudging forward without a glance back, he clicked his tongue. He was lucky Rin was holding back for fear of getting even more points taken away from the (completely imaginary and most likely less than accurate) how-much-Yukio-likes-Rin meter, otherwise he'd have almost certainly gone off on him. What was he, his mother? "Get the stick out of your ass, man," he muttered under his breath, before smiling a little. "Might need the space for something else."

Reaching their regular classroom's door, he opened it without a second thought, planning to spend at least a few minutes thinking of ways to prove to Yukio that he could damn well be an older brother. He had expected the room to be vacant, seeing as it was pretty early, even for cram school terms, but sitting in her usual seat was a lonely as ever Izumo Kamiki, engrossed in what she was reading intently. Rin was a bit surprised to see her, but ended up doing a double and then triple take when he realized what exactly she was reading.

On the front of the pamphlet were two very good looking boys in very suggestive positions atop one another, wearing just enough clothing to be considered PG-13. It was hard to read anything from his distance, but he could make out the title "Desperate Lovers."

Izumo had quickly shoved the thing into her lap when she noticed Rin enter the room, looking absolutely _mortified_, but the boy had already seen. He was completely taken aback by it, standing with a blank and blinking expression in the door way for a moment, but decided that nothing would be accomplished by that and thus closed the door quietly behind him, walking further into the room. He smiled at Izumo. "Good mornin'."

She hissed at him, hastily shoving the magazine back into her bag. "You will not tell _anyone_," she warned, tone deadly.

Rin stopped near her desk, an innocent frown on his face. "Why would I? I just didn't expect you of all people to be into BL," he said.

Her face darkened, cheeks reddening and crimson eyes narrowing even more. "Tell a soul and I will make your life _hell_."

Rin sighed. "I told you, I won't tell. Sheesh, it's not even that bad, anyway." The teen frowned at her obvious skepticism. "Oh, come on. This tension's no good, it's distracting and I don't like it. Don't you believe me?"

Izumo's expression remained dubious.

Rin crossed his arms. "That's cold, you know." Suddenly, though, Rin's brain came up with an idea...a plan. Izumo seemed to like BL well enough, judging by how into it she seemed when he'd walked in. Rin's love interest just so happened to be male. The blue-haired teen suddenly grinned, unsure if this notion of his would even work but willing to try it anyway. Who knows when a BL fangirl would come in handy? "Hey, I've got an idea! How about I tell you a secret, too?"

Izumo looked at him with unimpressed eyes. "Why would I want to know a secret of yours?" she asked harshly, more hostile than usual thanks to her debunked hidden hobby.

"So if I ever tell someone about your secret, you can tell someone mine. Kinda like a collateral or something."

She thought about this for a moment. "I guess that makes sense," she conceded, crossing her arms. She gave him a commanding glare. "But make it something _really_ bad! Just as bad as mine!"

Rin just grinned. "Okay, okay." He leaned in close to her, holding his hand up to her ear like a child would whisper to a close friend. "I wanna fuck Mr. Okumura."

Izumo's reaction was about as priceless as they come. She froze for a moment, unbelieving, before she shot away from him as if he'd just spouted blue flames, face almost as red as her irises, which were minuscule due to shock. "Wh-wh-_wha_? Y-you and...Mr. Okumura are b-brothers, twins! You..." she trailed off, expression twisting from surprise to anger. "You're lying!"

Rin returned her frown. "What the hell? I'm a man of my word, Eyebrows! I don't lie." Before she could tell him off for using that annoying nickname, he looked away, face softening. "I really do love Yukio."

"Hey, Eyebrows is _not_ my na—!" she stopped herself mid-yell, taken aback by Rin's suddenly serious, affectionate stare at the wall behind her. Izumo straightened up, eyes returning to their normal size and expression softening into a neutral state. "You're...serious."

Rin scoffed. "Of course I am," he replied, putting a hand down to lean on the desk a bit. "I wouldn't lie about something like that."

Izumo was quiet for a minute. Rin was afraid his plan had kind of sort of exploded in his face for a moment, before she got this weird, goofy smile on her face...so unlike the loner, uptight, prideful Izumo he was used to. "I always thought you two would make a cute couple."

Rin himself laughed. "Damn straight we would! I..." he stopped himself there, turning to face Izumo fully. "Wait, you...pair real people up in your head?"

Izumo seemed unfazed. "Sure. You two aren't the only ones, either—I used to pair Yamada and Takara together before Yamada became Shura. They're both so quiet, y'know? Makes sense. And then there's Suguro and Konekomaru! Suguro's so obviously manly, and around Konekomaru he gets all protective of the fragile little guy! Ahh!" she giggled, crossing her legs. _"So cute!"_

Rin couldn't help but laugh along with her. She was acting so different from normal, almost like she now trusted him. Because he proved one of her headcanon pairings true? Since they knew each other's deep, dark secrets, they were in it together...it still unnerved him a bit, but hey? It was a nice improvement to icy stares and snotty insults. "That's a little creepy, y'know."

She waved a dismissing hand at him. "You just don't understand all the possibilities."

Rin shook his head. "I guess not. But now that I've told you, I need your help."

Izumo raised an (large) eyebrow at him. "My help?"

The half-demon nodded. "Yes. You see, I'm new to this whole boy's love business. I don't know how to...y'know, get all this started. With Yukio and everything."

Izumo held up a hand. "Now, hold on a second," she stopped him, her half-lidded eyes cast upon him questioningly. "Why should I help you?"

Rin frowned. What the hell happened to that carefree attitude all of a sudden? "Well, you're a BL fangirl, right? I bet you've read loads of BL-type stuff then. You've gotta know something about a boy trying to catch another boy's attention."

Izumo pressed her lips into a line. "That's true...I have enough doujinshi at home to stack it all up to the ceiling, and so many fanfictions bookmarked that my computer lags..."

Rin winced. _She's definitely a fujoshi*_! "...yeah, exactly! So helping me out would probably be a breeze for you!" He gave her a winning smile. "Please?"

The girl brushed her long purple pigtails behind her, staring at Rin for a moment as she mulled the notion over in her head. "Alright, I'll help you—"

Rin shook a fist in the air. "Yes! Thanks, Izumo! You're awesome!"

She held up a finger. "Hold on a sec; I wasn't finished," she said. "I'll help you, but there's a condition." She gave him an evil, clearly fangirly little smile. "You have to get me pictures of you and Mr. Okumura, together, getting busy."

It was Rin's turn to freak out; he nearly facefloored, utterly baffled by Izumo's nonchalant offer. "_Huunh_? Are you _insane_?" Rin proclaimed, struggling to sit up on his knees. "There's no way in hell I'm whoring us out like that, Eyebrows, we're not porn stars!"

Izumo puffed out her cheeks. "Oh, come off it! It's not like I'd show it to anyone else; it'd be in my personal collection. If I'm helping you hook up, it's the least you could do!"

"Hell no."

She sighed. "Fine, fine. How about just some foreplay? That works too. But shirts have to be off."

Rin was horrified when he found himself actually considering the idea. A tiny angel version of himself popped up on his left shoulder, shouting indignantly. "Rin, there's no _way_ you can do something like this to your brother! You're basically lying to him! Izumo's a _creep_! Turn her down, turn her _down_!"

Rin looked down at the apparition, not so much bothered by the fact that he was seeing things than he was by the whole Yukio-would-disapprove thing. "I mean, yeah, but..."

On his right shoulder appeared a cuter version of his demon self, arms crossed and glaring at Angel!Rin. "Yeah, right. And lose a valuable comrade in this war of love? I think not." Daemon!Rin looked up at Rin matter-of-factly. "C'mon, dude, don't be a pussy. There're some prices you're gonna have to pay. That's a given. Think about it! You're pretty much clueless—you've got _no_ chance of pulling this off if you don't have her help!"

Rin nodded, stroking his chin. "Yeah, that's true..."

Angel!Rin waved his arms around. "No! Don't listen to Daemon!Rin! Rin? _Rin_!"

"Hey!" Izumo called, waving a hand in the bluenette's face. "Who are you talking to?"

Rin snapped out of his reverie, and the two arguing personas disappeared in a poof. "Oh, uh, no one. Do I really have to give you pictures of us, y'know, making out? That's really creepy."

She turned away, crossing her arms. "Hey, that's the deal, Okumura. Take it or leave it."

Rin closed his eyes. The fact that Izumo had even _asked_ was in itself outrageous, but...would it really be that bad? Just like a few or so...that wasn't too bad. Yukio didn't even have to know. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "How am I even supposed to take pictures if I'm in on it?"

Izumo _hmm'd_. "That's true." After a minute she snapped her fingers. "That's okay! You can just take a video!"

"_What_?"

Izumo leaned in, so that their faces were close. That cat-like grin was beginning to scare him. "You help me, I'll help you. Just two minutes of footage, that's all I'm asking for."

He really could hardly believe this girl's tenacity. But he knew that she was valuable, a treasure trove of information as well as someone he could talk to about all this... Rin swallowed a bit before returning the expression, eyes fierce. "_Fine_. But you had better give me your very best advice and help or whatever, or you get _nothing_."

Izumo leaned back, smile turned light and triumphant. "Yes! Good, very good." She nodded. "Alright then. What do you need help with, exactly? Oh, hold on a minute," she said, going back into her bag to fetch something. She pulled out a notebook and a pencil, flipping it open to a blank page. "Go."

"Eh?" Rin blinked, eyeing the notebook warily. _She's certainly eager...well, she _is_ getting free porn out of it._ He inwardly shuddered. "Well, I just don't know what to do. How do I, you know, approach the subject with him? I can't do it suddenly, or he'll definitely freak out."

She held up her hands. "Now hold up, let's take a step back. How do you know this isn't gonna be totally fruitless? Is he gay?"

Rin shook his head. "No, but he's bi. We talked about it the other day. He said something about no priority on gender 'cause there's more to a relationship than sex."

Izumo's face fell. "He's bisexual? Oh geez...though that sounds exactly like something Mr. Okumura would say," she giggled a bit. "But this makes your job a lot harder, you know. Instead of just other guys, you've got to worry about everyone!"

Rin's eyes widened. "Oh God, you're right. _Damn_! How do I compete with Shura? Or Shiemi? Ah, dear God, I'm screwed!"

Izumo closed her eyes. "No, I don't think so. Mr. Okumura doesn't seem to like Shura much, and Shiemi's too ditzy to attract him...but I'm not sure, as I don't know Mr. Okumura very well." Her eyelids fluttered back open. "But you can't lose hope this early! Moron. Another question. Are you gay?"

Rin stood up straight, stretching his back, which had begun to ache from his perpetually bent stature. "Eh...I've never really found anyone that wasn't a female attractive. Not until a couple months ago, anyway. But Yukio's the only guy I've ever had eyes for. Why?"

Izumo tapped her head with the pencil she held. "Because! Don't you _dare_ get distracted by other women during all this."

Rin's eyebrows twitched. "Don't underestimate me, Eyebrows. This isn't just some shallow love or something. I _will_ make Yukio mine, dammit!"

Izumo couldn't help but smile, though the smile didn't hold much happiness. "Well, at least you're determined," she admitted, nodding to herself. "Alright. So you said you're having trouble starting things off? How so? What have you already done?"

Rin crossed his arms and raised his gaze, thinking back: "Hmm...well, I've kissed him on the cheek, but he didn't seem too affected by it. I've been trying to keep my temper under control around him. I cooked him breakfast yesterday—"

Izumo stopped him. "Yesterday? And you don't do it on a regular basis because? _Seriously_, it's like you're not even trying."

Rin gave her an annoyed look. "Hey! I cook us breakfast every other day, Eyebrows, so shut the hell up. But yesterday I cooked his favorites. And other than that, I don't really know what else to do."

Izumo scribbled something down in her notebook. "Okay. You've done okay so far, I guess. But yesterday in class, what the hell was that? Mr. Okumura looked like he wanted to strangle you for a minute. I wanted to smack you myself! If you wanna get on his good side, what were you thinking?"

Rin pouted. "Shut it. I figured that if I answered a question right, he'd be impressed or something."

Izumo scoffed. "Well, try learning the answers _before_ trying to give them. Blockhead."

"I said shut it!"

"Anyway," she continued, hardly skipping a beat as she wrote more down in that notebook of hers (Rin was almost curious as to what, but then again, he probably didn't want to know). "Cooking is a good advantage, so use it as much as possible, and cook stuff _he_ wants, too, not your favorites! Also, I have to know: are you gonna be the seme? Or the uke?

Rin blinked. "Seme? Uke?"

Izumo groaned. "_Ugh_! You don't even know what the difference between seme and uke is? You're _hopeless_, Okumura!"

Rin slammed an indignant hand on the desk. "Hey! I told you, I know next to nothing about this stuff!"

The purple-haired girl took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. "Fine, fine. The seme is the one who 'attacks', and the uke is the one who 'takes the attacks'. Which are you?"

Rin thought about this for a moment before the metaphorical lightbulb lit up over his head. "Oh! So, the uke takes it up the ass?"

Izumo colored a bit. "To be blunt, yes."

Rin snorted. "I'm totally the seme, then."

Izumo frowned. "Really? I always imagined Mr. Okumura as the seme, since he's much more mature. He's also taller, too."

Rin sighed. "I still think it's creepy that me and Yukio are your dream pairing or whatever. And I _can_ be mature, dammit!"

Izumo rolled her eyes. "Your actions beg to differ." Her eyes wandered up to the clock that hung on the wall behind the teacher's desk, and her eyes widened. "Ah! So much time's passed! Bon and Konekomaru'll be here any minute! Quick, get away from me!" she shooed him away with one hand while she put her things back in her bag. "Oh, wait a minute. I'm going to need your phone number."

Rin raised an eyebrow at her. "What for?"

Izumo frowned. "Don't get any funny ideas! We're not friends—we're _business partners_. What if I get an idea that can't wait for school, or you need some quick advice?" She had her cell phone out, pressing buttons in quick succession. "So then, what is it?"

Rin blinked a few times before pulling out his own phone. After about thirty seconds, the two had each other as registered contacts and swiftly put their cellular devices away, Rin practically kicked back to his rightful seat by an insistent Izumo.

As if on cue, about a minute later, the door opened and in walked Bon and his buddy Konekomaru, both of whom looked perfectly awake. Bon looked taken aback by Rin's presence, but said nothing to him, instead giving him a half-glare and passing him.

Konekomaru was a bit more kind. "Good morning, Okumura," he offered a bit meekly.

Rin flashed him a big grin. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that things were going to go his way from here on out. "Mornin', Konekomaru!"

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: *fujoshi = female otaku, more specifically a (hardcore) yaoi/BL fangirl. Just in case ya didn't know.**_

It's kind of a sudden end, isn't it? Sorry about that. But I feel like stuffing the next scene into this chapter will make it too bulky. Ah well.

Is Izumo too OOC? Lololol. I tried to keep her as in character as possible, having added to her a fangirly, BL-obsessed side. Please keep in mind it's a silly!fic~ Though she still treats Rin like he's an idiot. But he kind of is, so meh. -shot- And I can't believe she has the balls to ask Rin for a steamy video. I mean, what? xD AND RIN AGREES. Seriously, Rin, what the hell?

But enough of my silliness. Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can _**improve on, etc. etc. It always helps!**_

See you soon, hopefully~ C:


	4. Warning! Challenger Approaching?

_**A/N: Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! I haven't replied to anyone because I'm just a lazy whore who sucks, but I really do appreciate each and every one of you~ I'll probably start replying 'cause I feel kinda guilty, lol.**_

WARNINGS: Somewhat angsty, mild language, bad spelling and the ever-present mind-twincest (make a move, damn you, Rin!)

DISCLAIMER: This is , sillies. I don't own anything.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

It was unnerving as hell, to say the least.

For the first part of the day, during classes like Grimoire Lit. and Demonology, everything was as it should have been; Bon, Konekomaru, and Izumo paying an almost unhealthy amount of attention to the teacher and corresponding lecture, Shima fooling around with his pencil idly, Takara off in his own little world with that bunny puppet of his, Shiemi trying and failing to take proper notes, and Rin quietly dozing off where he sat, not even bothering to try and follow the lesson. Occasionally the current teacher would call on him to try and embarrass him out of sleeping, but it didn't ever work. Eventually they just left him alone, and Rin was able to catch up on his beauty sleep in peace.

But when Yukio walked in with that briefcase of his, with the usual polite smile and "Good morning, class," Rin felt a disturbance in the air. He didn't know what exactly it was, but he felt it. So he kept on his guard, though he outwardly appeared to be as out of it as ever, head in the hand that was propped up by his elbow on the desk, eyes trained on his twin brother. The only thing Rin was paying attention to was Yukio. Today's lesson was 'How Yukio Moves Around While He Teaches.'

The half-demon found the way Yukio seemed to be unconsciously moving his right index finger ever so slightly while he gestured amusing; like he was shooting one of his guns, which were safely stowed away under that large overcoat of his. One of the hairs on his head was sticking out slightly in the wrong direction, and Rin was very tempted to get out of his seat to go fix it, if only as an excuse to touch his head. Though he was more than familiar with how his twin's mouth moved, Rin couldn't help but be mesmerized by their teacher's lips as he went on about some plant that Rin didn't recognize (though that wasn't saying very much). They moved fluidly and confidently, like they knew exactly what they were talking about. The bottom lip was slightly chapped, and Yukio's tongue would dart out seamlessly every so often to moisten them up a bit. Rin couldn't help but grin every time, eyelids drooping. He wanted to kiss those lips.

But suddenly, Rin felt something again, this time moreso than before. Subtly turning to his right, he looked past a spaced out-looking Shiemi to find Izumo staring right at him, eyes calculating. Rin locked gazes with her out of the corners of his eyes, wordlessly wondering what she was doing, and Izumo merely continued to stare, gaze flicking to where Yukio stood in front of the class every few seconds.

This continued until Rin heard Yukio clear his throat audibly. Slowly turning back around, he was met with an unimpressed-looking brother staring down at him. The frown he wore made Rin feel bad, and the bluenette looked down at his still unopened textbook, mumbling a "My bad."

Yukio looked doubtful, but he turned his gaze to the class as a whole again anyway. "Right. As I was saying, this plant is very rare, only able to grow when all the specific requirements are met..."

As Yukio began to teach once more, Rin inwardly fumed. _The hell is her problem? Why does she keep staring at me and Yukio like that?_ The half-demon had been under the impression that Izumo's role as a BL expert was to help him win Yukio over, not distract him in class and make him lose even more points than he was gaining. Shaking his head, he focused himself once more on Yukio, not keen on drawing anymore negative attention to himself.

But for the rest of the class period, Rin could feel her eyes on him, observing his actions more than she was paying attention to the actual lesson, which was in itself a shocker. The only reason he could come up with to justify her actions was her trying to make sure he didn't screw up again or something. That was nice in theory, but it was still off-putting. And that still didn't explain her glancing at Yukio too. Maybe she was imagining some steamy scenario featuring the two of them...Rin shuddered at the thought of Izumo's no doubt perverted fantasies.

When the bell finally did ring (after what seemed like ages later), Rin was the first one out of his seat, though he waited for everyone else to file out of the classroom (he gave Izumo an unamused, blaming look as she passed). Then, when it was only he, Yukio and Shiemi left, Rin began to rummage through Yukio's briefcase unannounced, much to the younger's chagrin. Before the brunette could reprimand his older brother, however, Rin pulled out the two bento he'd prepared the day before last, licking his lips. "Boy, am I hungry!" he proclaimed, handing one to Yukio with a suggestive wink. "Let's eat."

Yukio took the lunch, and Rin fought hard to stifle his laugh when the taller boy's stomach rumbled quite loudly. He pushed up his glasses. "Right. Shiemi, would you like to join us?"

The blonde looked up from where she was still gathering her things. "Oh? S-sure, Yuki!" she happily agreed, holding up a boxed lunch of her own. "Just a minute!"

Rin frowned a little; he didn't want to share Yukio with anyone else, much less a busty, admittedly attractive and kind girl like Shiemi. But he supposed he got enough time alone with Yukio in the dorms, and it wasn't like Yukio was interested in her anyway, right? And there was always the fact that Shiemi was too clumsy and inexperienced to even think about asking someone out. She was harmless. So Rin smiled and humored Shiemi's observation about how nice a day it was with a witty remark of his own, Yukio two steps behind them as they exited the cram school for the time being.

"So, where should we eat?" Shiemi asked the duo as they stepped out into the school's main plaza of sorts, which was bustling with students rushing to buy their food before it was too late. "It's a little crowded out here, but eating inside would be a shame, since it's so nice out here..."

Yukio smiled at her. "You're right about that. Why don't we sit on the water fountain?" he suggested, pointing to the huge marble statue in the center of the plaza, surrounded by water pools of different size and level, getting bigger the closer one got to the ground. Water gushed out of the tip, which was surrounded by little sculptures of four-legged beasts, and flowed down into the lower levels, sparkling in the sunshine.

She beamed back up at him. "Yeah, that's a great idea!" she nodded her head enthusiastically.

And so the trio seated themselves on the fountain's wide edges, Yukio and Shiemi on the bottommost level with a (Rin made sure of this) generous amount of space between them and Rin on the ledge above, in between the two. When the twins opened their bento, they were greeted with yummy-looking food; both boasted a rolled omelet, a ball of sticky rice and little pieces of sausage cut to look like cute octopi. Yukio smiled as he picked up one of these little octopi, and it didn't go unnoticed by Rin, who gave himself a satisfied little smirk.

Shiemi gasped when Yukio brought it to his lips and ate it unceremoniously, eyes sparkling slightly. "Wow!" she exclaimed, fawning over the detail. "That's so cute! And the bento looks like it was made by a pro!" She looked down at her own mediocre lunch box, a small sandwich and a ziplock bag full of grapes, and frowned slightly. "Mine's all plain compared to yours."

Yukio swallowed his bite, having enjoyed it (Rin's tail flicked from where it hid under his shirt in accomplishment). "Yours is nice too, though," he offered, trying to be polite. "It's very simple. And I love sandwiches."

Rin made a small amused noise at this obvious lie. Yukio didn't care for sandwiches much, actually, which Rin had learned some time prior after having tried to make simple tuna sandwiches. Yukio had given the thing multiple dirty looks throughout the meal and only ended up eating three bites before excusing himself. The guy usually liked tuna well enough. Rin plopped a piece of omelet on his tongue as he watched their little exchange. _Oh, Yukio. Ever the gentleman._

Shiemi brightened up, picking the sandwich up and smiling at Yukio sweetly. "Really? I'll have to make one for you sometime, then!" she offered, taking a small bite.

Yukio's expression was laughable. He managed to mask it by taking a sudden interest in his lunch, opting to not meet the blonde's eyes for a moment. "Ah...sure," he replied a bit weakly, shoveling a bit of rice into his mouth. Rin swung his legs from where they hung off the edge of the fountain, inwardly laughing. _Way to dig yourself into a hole, man._

The trio was quiet for a while after that, busy eating their respective lunches. Rin had his down first, and after licking his lips with a satisfied sigh, he hopped down to the level Yukio and Shiemi sat on, so that he sat in the middle. Before he could initiate another conversation, however, his jacket pocket buzzed. Looking down in mild surprise, the bluenette fished out his cell phone, flipping it open. He had a text.

_From: Eyebrows | Date: 03 Feb 11:43am | Subject: Moron!_

Way to go in class today, Okumura. Ogling other women right in front of Mr. Okumura? Real smart.

He stared down at his phone in disbelief. Him, ogling Izumo? Oh hell no. Immediately he hit 'reply', fingers speedily tapping away at the buttons as he wrote his reply.

_To: Eyebrows | Date: 03 Feb 11:44am | Subject: Re: Moron!_

r u kiddin me? ur the one who was lookin at me first! nd theres no way i was admirin ur face or watever, i was tryin to c wat u were doing starin at me! u were probally thinkin about me n yukio doin dirty stuff huh? creep!

After he hit 'send,' Rin flipped the phone shut in a huff. How _dare_ she have the nerve to blame this on him? It was obviously her fault. He tried not to let the anger show on his face as he listened in on the conversation Yukio and Shiemi had started while he'd been checking his texts.

"Yeah!" Shiemi said, nodding her head. "We just got a shipment of malachite in yesterday. I can bring some over after school, i-if you want."

Yukio waved a hand at her, smiling. "Oh no, that's fine. I'll pick it up myself; you don't need to go through the trouble."

Shiemi blushed a bit, standing up straight. "Oh, it's no trouble at all!" she claimed, hands balled up in her lap.

Rin perked up. Here was his chance! "Hey, didn't you have something to do with Mephisto after school today anyway?" he stated more than asked, smoothing out his jacket. "I'll go pick it up."

Yukio gave his older brother a curious glance. "That's thoughtful of you, Rin," he began, causing the bluenette's ego to inflate and he put on a grin. "But only certified exorcists can shop at that store, remember?"

Rin blinked. "Oh, right. Well, write me a note or something. I'm sure they'll let me pick something up, right?" But before he could receive an answer, his phone buzzed again. Remembering who exactly it was, Rin's expression turned a bit sour as he pulled his phone out once more, paying more attention to it than Yukio's pensive answer.

_From: Eyebrows | Date: 03 Feb 11:47am | Subject: Re: Re: Moron!_

Huh? You were definitely looking at Shiemi, idiot. Even though she was totally out of it. Mr. Okumura saw it too, that's why got on to you so quick. Of course I was looking at you; to make sure you didn't do anything stupid, which you managed to go and do anyway! And why would I use class time to daydream about you two getting it on? I can do that at home!

That last line made Rin shiver, but he thought back to what Izumo had said about Yukio seeing him 'ogle Shiemi.' He had been looking at Izumo, but Shiemi was so close that everyone else probably would have thought him to be staring at her instead...and Yukio had seen it. And he had made a move to stop him.

Which, Rin's mind concluded, meant that Yukio didn't want Rin to be looking at Shiemi that way. Yukio didn't want him to have any interest in Shiemi.

Because he secretly loved her.

This epiphany made him choke on his own spit, where he sat here between the two lovebirds (Rin thought very begrudgingly) as they talked and laughed. He suddenly felt an intense wave of resentment towards Shiemi, but who was he kidding? It wasn't her fault. Of course Yukio would be attracted to her, an attractive, sweet female over him, an attractive (narcissistic, much?) yet at times immature and stubborn male related by blood. Hair hanging over his eyes, he slowly typed out his reply, trying to ignore the two voices casually chatting around him.

_To: Eyebrows | Date: 03 Feb 11:50am | Subject: Re: Re: Re: Moron!_

_but i really wsnt lookin at her, i was lookin at u! ...do u think that this means he got mad cuz he wants her all to himslf?_

btw that thing about thinkin about me n yukio at home is creepy

When he hit 'send' again, a touch on his right shoulder caused him to jump a bit, startled by the unexpected contact. He looked up to see Yukio's slightly exasperated face staring down at him. "You weren't listening to a thing we said, were you?" he observed, noting Rin's blank look.

Rin brought a hand up to the back of his neck, masking his anxiety about Yukio and Shiemi's potential as a couple well enough. "Not quite," he admitted, breaking their locked gazes. Those blue-green eyes of his...they'd never look at him like they looked at Shiemi, would they?, his mind thought sadly.

Yukio sighed. "Well, I was saying you going in my place might not be the best idea, due to your tendency to screw things up. You're not the most mature, after all."

Rin deadpanned, giving Yukio an honest, irritated frown. "Again with this immaturity thing," Rin growled, hating how Yukio looked down upon him like that. _He_ was the big brother here, dammit! Wasn't he supposed to be looked up to? Though even Rin had to admit that there wasn't much to look up to when it came to him. Weird demon child of Satan who failed his classes and couldn't control his powers. Yup, what a winner.

But before Rin could tell Yukio off anymore, Shiemi cut in. "But my mom knows Rin, and he helped get rid of that demon in my grandma's garden..." she trailed off, probably recalling that crazy day. She smiled at the two. "I'm sure she won't mind."

Yukio stayed silent for a minute, eyeing Rin out of the corner of his eye, whom just lightly frowned at him in return. Eventually he exhaled, grabbing his briefcase so he could replace the empty bento box. "If you say so, Shiemi," he conceded, unfastening a couple of straps.

Rin smiled despite himself. "There, y'see? Just leave it to me, you worry wart," he assured, allowing himself to playfully pat Yukio's shoulder. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or frown when his twin just ignored him, focusing his attention on his own task. Another buzz in his pocket managed to distract him once more, though, so he left him to his own devices while he flipped his phone open once again.

_From: Eyebrows | Date: 03 Feb 11:54am | Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Moron!_

Well, it definitely looked like you were looking at the ditzy blonde. Might wanna keep that in mind next time.

God, why are you so pessimistic, Okumura? Did it ever occur to you that maybe Mr. Okumura wanted you to stop because he wants /you/ all to himself? But he probably just did that because you weren't paying attention. Teachers tend to do that sometimes, moron.

And shut it. You two are a hot couple. Just be thankful I don't write fanfiction about you two. ...yet.  
  
Rin paid the middle lines of text more attention than anything else. Could that really be true, the part about Yukio wanting him all to himself? The thought sent ripples of giddiness up his spine. But he had to admit it was far more likely that Yukio was just playing teacher, like Izumo had suggested. He took his job pretty seriously, despite his questionable age. So maybe, just maybe, Shiemi _wasn't_ the problem! Rin did like Shiemi, so it would be a shame if she was a love rival.

But one thing was for certain: Rin needed to stop being such a wimp about it all. _Pull yourself together!_ He couldn't give up hope so easily like that. Otherwise, how was he ever going to convince Yukio of his feelings? This was a slow process, or so he thought. It must be entirely different from wooing a girl, right? Which was why he and Izumo were partners in crime.

Spirit renewed, the half-demon busied himself coming up with his response.

_To: Eyebrows | Date: 03 Feb 11:56am | Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Moron!_

i never rlly thought about it that way. maybe ur right! maybe he was just bein a tight-ass teacher like always. that makes sense.

thx, eyebrows! u actually can be nice sometims! _（＾◇＾）___

and plz dont ever write any fanfiction, its creepy enough as it is  
  
He hit 'send,' satisfied with his response. When he closed his phone, he found Yukio's eyes on him almost suspiciously. The brunette gestured at Rin's phone. "Who is it you're texting all of a sudden?" he asked, catching Rin off-guard.

Rin had to think fast. If he said Izumo, Yukio might get the wrong impression about them, like he may have with Shiemi! Trying his best not to hesitate, he put on a lax expression. "Oh, just Konekomaru," he lied casually, pocketing his phone once more. "I'm trying to convince him to help me study."

Yukio's face turned almost skeptical. "You know that I always offer to help you study, right?" he pointed out, his voice..._hurt_?

Rin quickly scrambled to salvage the situation. He didn't want to seem ungrateful to Yukio at all! Had he just imagined the hurt in his voice? "Oh, I know," he assured, patting his brother's shoulder chummily. "You just always seem so busy with your own work, y'know? I don't want to trouble you."

Thankfully, Rin seemed to have won that one, Yukio looking taken aback for a moment before he regarded his brother with a thoughtful expression. "I see." He looked down at his wrist for a moment before standing up, his briefcase in hand. "Well, my next class is coming up. Don't be late for P.E., you two," he warned lightly, holding up a hand in farewell as he walked away from them and toward the main building.

"O-oh! Bye, Yuki!" Shiemi called after him, her own hand waving rapidly even though the addressed boy couldn't see it.

"Yes, mom, I'll try not to be late," was Rin's response, and he laughed at himself afterwards. Having been left in a comfortable silence with Shiemi, the boy turned ninety degrees to the right and flopped down onto his back, deciding that a small nap couldn't hurt any.

_-asdfjkl;-_

Rin stood outside of the Moriyama family store, hands on his hips and a relieved look on his face.

Right after school he'd made it his priority to come and pick up that order Yukio and Shiemi had talked about at lunch that day, but he remembered on the way that he had no idea where exactly he needed to go; he couldn't remember. He thought about calling Yukio to ask, but he'd have probably just told Rin off for how forgetful he was. So he ended up calling Shiemi instead. It may not have been the best of ideas, because the bluenette found out the hard way that Shiemi was just as directionally-challenged as he was, and as such ended up making him take wrong turns and confuse himself to no end in the process. But he managed to make it there okay, if a bit late (school had ended at three, and it was now almost five).

After relishing the success for a minute more, Rin walked up the paved walkway up to the store, giving the neighboring garden a glance as he passed it. He shivered a little. It was very nice, housing tons of different pretty flowers and bushes and the like, but Rin couldn't help but be reminded of the time he first met Shiemi, and the mayhem that had followed.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by many different smells and a dark interior; shades of brown assaulted his vision, along with the other colors the nice variety of herbs and other things set up for display around the quaint little room. At the very back of the room behind the counter sat a slightly worried-looking Shiemi, who had changed back into her usual kimono. She looked up at Rin suddenly and smiled that wide, earnest yet silly smile of hers, raising an arm in an attempt to wave. "Oh, Rin! Thank goodness you made it here alright!"

Rin approached her casually, nodding his head. "Yeah, me too. I thought I might never get here!"

Shiemi blushed, lowering her head a bit. "Mm, I'm sorry," she lamented, fumbling with her kimono a bit. "I should have given you the key to get here from the school."

Having reached the back of the shop, the half-demon laughed, waving her apology away. "Nah, you're fine. Besides, you would've had to walk back here yourself if you gave me the key." He stopped in front of her, looking down at her with a neutral expression. "So, what is it that Yukio needed, again?"

Shiemi clapped her hands together, making a little 'o' with her mouth. "Right! I'd almost forgotten why you came here in the first place," she admitted, giggling a bit self-consciously. Rin rolled his eyes but chuckled himself as she went to rummaging through parcels situated next to her on the floor. Eventually she found what she was looking for, holding up a small leather pouch. "Here we are! Yuki's order of malachite," she informed happily as the bluenette took it from her grasp, holding it up to eye level for closer inspection. It was rather heavy for such a small pouch, so Rin supposed that malachite probably wasn't a plant. "He didn't get very much this time."

"Guess not." Rin tossed the thing into the air and caught it before stuffing it into his pocket semi-carefully and turning back to Shiemi. "So do I have to pay or anything?"

Shiemi shook her head, sending strands of blonde hair swaying side to side. "No, Yuki paid in advance for it."

"Oh, okay." Rin just kind of stood there for a minute, staring at Shiemi. He couldn't help but be reminded of earlier that day, when in class he'd been mistaken for staring at her (much like he actually was now...) and she apparently hadn't noticed. His mind wandered to how she acted around Yukio, including her tendency to call him 'Yuki.' She stuttered and blushed around him a lot. She offered to do things for him. She seemed to make it a point to try and be around him if he was available. Could it be that she had a crush on his little brother? He had been the first boy she'd ever met, after all (according to Yukio, anyway). Perhaps she was just like that around boys in general, but then there was the fact that she was completely normal around Bon and Konekomaru and Shima and even himself, and she'd known them for a fraction of the time. Something just didn't add up. So Rin decided that he would get himself an answer.

"Shiemi, do you love Yukio?" he asked rather bluntly.

The blonde, who had up until this point been smiling blankly back up at the pensive Rin, now _ehhh?_'d and shot up straight, face reddening. "H-huh? Yuki's special to me...but so is Rin! And Suguro and Konekomaru and Shima and Izumo!" she insisted, waving her hands around animatedly. "Yuki is a friend."

Rin examined her expression for a moment before he laughed, causing Shiemi to blush further. He knew she didn't have it in her to lie. "I see. I was just wondering." He paused. "Are we friends too?"

Shiemi just looked at him for a second before she smiled. "Of course!"

Rin grinned back at her. "Good. Sorry for the weird questions. Guess I'd better leave before I ask any more! See ya, Shiemi," he gave her a little wave before turning around to exit the store.

He could still see that dopey smile on her face in his mind. "No problem! Have a good day! Say hi to Yuki for me!" she called back from behind him.

"Will do!" he replied for the final time as he opened the door, stepping out and closing it before any more words could be exchanged. Rin was in a good mood; he'd just been assured Shiemi didn't have any romantic interest in his brother. That didn't mean Yukio couldn't be attracted to her per se, but it'd be so much easier to break them apart if it was an unrequited crush! _I'm such a bad person_, the bluenette thought to himself, _but I can't bring myself to give a damn. Yukio~ You're mine!_

The boy began to skip his way down and away from the shop, not caring in the slightest if anyone saw him as he made his was back to campus.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: You better make your move quick, Rin. Who knows who might swoop in and take dear old Yuki-chan away~**_

You: THIS CHAPTER NEEDS MORE LOLZ.

Me: I KNOW. I'M SORRY. I'M HORRIBLE.

I tried to make it funny, but a lot _**(okay, maybe not **_**a lot...**_**)**__** of it is Rin angsting over Yukio's alleged crush on Shiemi. STUPID RIN, RUINING EVERYTHING. Def not as funny as last chapter, for which I apologize. I wonder what Yukio's meeting with Mephisto was all about...? And what did you guys think about the whole texting thing? The misspells and absence of capital letters in Rin's **__**replies are intentional, btw (which was a bitch **__**to do**__** with my iPhone's autocorrect OTL). Is that annoying? I can switch it back to intelligible English if you guys prefer. I just thought it would fit his character.**_

So what did you guys think? Leave a review telling me whatcha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. Even just a couple words can make my day!

Catch you guys later. -puts on shades- C':


	5. Side Quest: Store Run!

_**A/N: That was a longer delay than I wanted to give, you guys. I didn't wanna. I got distracted by fics for other fandoms. I'm sorry. I love you all that reviewed. AND I DIDN'T REPLY TO ANY OF YOU AGAIN FFFUUUU- I just feel kinda awkward if there's too big of a gap between when you send it and when I send a reply, y'know? I dunno. I suck.**_

But, y'know. Enjoy the chapter.

WARNINGS: Language (I used 'fuck' again. Dammit, I used it again, just now!;;), annoying girls who can't take a hint, and Okumuracest.

DISCLAIMER: Yo, son. Please tell me you ain't be believin' Lukeprism owns any o' dis. 'Cuz she don't, bruh.

—**s—t—a—r—t—c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t—e**—**r—**

"Yukio~"

The addressed brunette looked up from where he was scrawling notes down from one of his normal school textbooks, donning his exorcist uniform minus the huge overcoat. The fact that he hadn't changed out of it yet (it was almost ten o'clock at night) was a bit of a surprise, but Rin didn't mind; if he was honest with himself, he rather liked it when Yukio looked all professional like that, with his white button-up shirt tucked into dark pants and secured by a belt, giving a subtle little hint at the toned form underneath. He was distracted by his ogling up until Yukio managed to snap him out of it. "What?"

Rin tore his eyes away from his brother's torso, giving his face (his cute...well, more handsome than cute face. He may have looked mature and serious with that constant neutral expression but when he smiled and his eyes were bright oh my _God—_) his full attention. "You should come with me to the store, Yukio," he suggested, swinging his wallet chain from his fingers nonchalantly. He still wore his uniform pants, but had changed shirts to a more comfortable thin and baggy white sweater. "You can pick out what you want me to make for lunch."

The younger of the two blinked, looking back down at his work. "Well, can't you just go and I'll tell you what I want?" he countered, using that damn wit of his. That damn, attractive as fuck wit of his.

Rin resisted the urge to pout. "Awh, c'mon. Don't be a spoilsport. You're almost done, right?" he asked, gesturing towards his twin's work.

Yukio paused. "Nearly, yes," he affirmed, writing another few words down. "But isn't it a bit inconvenient if I go with you?" he replied, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Rin grinned. "Not if we go to the _convenience_ store!" he sang, stuffing his wallet back into his back pocket. "C'mon."

Yukio found himself laughing at the answer despite how lame it was. Rin was delighted; a laughing Yukio was something to be treasured, as it only happened rarely nowadays. After a good twenty seconds or so, Yukio clicked his pen closed and waved a hand in the air. "Alright, you win. I'll come. Just let me get my socks on."

Rin fisted the air. "Yes!" he exclaimed almost childishly. Quality time with Yukio was always a welcome thing. He watched the taller boy as he stood up, pushed his chair in, walked to his dresser, pulled out some clean socks, put them on his feet, and proceeded to the door to put his shoes on. Smiling, Rin followed suit, sliding his school shoes on haphazardly. Yukio grabbed the keys from where they sat on the bookshelf next to the door, and without any further unnecessary conversation, the two were out the door and heading down to the dorm's front door.

_-asdfjkl;-_

"Do you think we'll need a basket?"

Yukio pointed to the hand baskets stacked beside the automatic door they'd just entered. Rin glanced back at them for a second, debating with himself.

"Yeah, just get one in case we end up needing it," he decided, turning back to the front. Yukio obliged him, taking one of the green baskets by the handle and toting it alongside him as they ventured deeper into the place.

The two had arrived at their destination; the student store right on True Cross Academy's campus. It was pretty conveniently located, as Rin had mentioned earlier, and as such there were a few people (read: students) there despite the time of night. The brothers weaved their way around said people, brainstorming in the process.

"So whaddya want me to make for lunch this time?" Rin asked, seeking out his preferred brand of rice on the bottommost shelf of the aisle.

Yukio looked around. "I don't know..." he trailed off, obviously having not put much thought into such a mundane topic. "Karaage, teriyaki, tempura shrimp, tataki, yakitori...maybe some onigiri*?"

Rin laughed. "That's quite the order, bro," he remarked, letting the bag of rice flop down in the basket Yukio still carried.

The brunette rolled his blue-green eyes as he followed Rin down to the seafood section. "Not all of them, of course," he amended, watching his brother inspect all the food there with a keen eye. "Just choose something from that list and you're fine."

Rin didn't look back up at him. "Hmm...well, I think tempura's more of a dinner thing, dontcha think?" he said, stroking his chin. "I'll get some shrimp, though. I guess I can use tuna for the tataki, and I'll make a surprise filling for the onigiri." He turned back to Yukio now with a smile. "That okay, Mr. Okumura?"

The latter half-smiled back. "Indeed, Okumura."

Rin frowned. "It doesn't really work when we have the same last name, does it?"

Yukio crossed his arms, looking up towards the ceiling. "Not really."

The shorter of the two shrugged. "Oh well."

One of the workers behind the seafood counter came up to the duo, a smile on his wrinkled face. "Good evening, boys. What can I do for you?"

Rin did not hesitate. "Hello. Could I get half a pound of shrimp, a couple of tuna and the biggest salmon you've got?"

The older man seemed taken aback by the order, but nevertheless he nodded his head. "Right away," he replied, waddling off to gather the specified food items.

Yukio leaned forward a bit, arms still crossed. "A couple of tuna? Do we really need that much?"

Rin gave him a backwards glance. "Ukobach loves tuna, so he'll probably eat a good chunk of it if we leave him alone with it. Plus, I can use the leftovers for dinner and stuff."

Yukio blinked, then shrugged. "Right. I suppose you do know best when it comes to food."

Rin smirked, eyes closing. "Exactly. Leave it to me, my esteemed little brother. Have I ever let you down before?"

This was meant as a rhetorical kind of question, but Yukio went and pushed his glasses up his nose a bit, looking towards the ceiling once again. "Well, yes, now that you mention it. Numerous times."

Rin could only barely detect the playful tone hidden in his words. "Hey! You're supposed to say, 'No, of course not, brother,' or something," he whined, puffing his cheeks out like a little kid. Yukio chuckled at his antics, and Rin smiled at him again. They were both so relaxed right now, just joking around and enjoying each other's company. It almost felt like a date. Minus the kissing or holding hands part, though. But Rin would work on that. The bluenette was so absorbed in his thoughts that the older man's return went by him unnoticed until said man held up a fairly big brown bag.

"Here you are, boys," he offered, nodding to Rin as he jumped slightly but took the bag with a polite smile. "Have a good night."

"Thanks, you too," the brothers answered simultaneously, both going on to grin at this habit.

The two ended up in the admittedly rather small fruits and vegetables section of the store next. Rin was sifting through the different choices he had, through leeks and onions and the like, finding the freshest and biggest with his trained eyes. Yukio looked on with amused eyes, the determined look now in Rin's eyes never quite seen in the classroom. A few minutes later the bluenette had filled two flimsy plastic bags and was working on a third when the brothers were spotted.

"Okumura!"

Both boys started, but for two different reasons. Rin because he was extremely displeased with the arrival of the three different voices that had just cooed their shared surname. Yukio, on the other hand, because he had a lack of finesse dealing with the likes of females his age that quite obviously doted on him, and he knew it. But Yukio was not a rude young man. As such, he turned around to give them the best fake smile he could muster (which from practice had become quite believable, but nowhere near as mind-blowingly awesome as his legitimate grins). "Ah, ladies," he greeted kind of lamely. "What brings you all here so late?"

They all giggled. Rin made a face as he quickly stuffed veggies into his bag, not really caring anymore about the quality; he just wanted to get them both away from the crazy stalker chicks as soon as possible. They were after his man, after all.

"We were here buying some things for our lunches tomorrow," the leader of the little group, Kashino, answered him, pushing he glasses up her nose a little. "What about you, Okumura?"

Rin couldn't see his younger brother's expression, but he was sure it was still that forced smile. "Really? That's what we're here for as well," he chuckled, the sound kind of strained. It wasn't that he was nervous; just exasperated. He wondered almost hopelessly if they would ever get the hint that he wasn't interested in their company, much less any sort of relationship. "But I'm really just here to carry the groceries. My brother here is the one who cooks, so naturally he picks out the ingredients as well," he added, gesturing hack toward said brother, who was now tying the bag closed and standing up in the process. Rin grimaced. _Oh, thanks, man. Divert the attention to me to save your ass._

But Yukio's plan backfired pretty blatantly: "This guy? A thug like him couldn't even make a cup of noodles without messing something up," the long light brown-haired girl, Nishiwaki, shot the brunette's claim down.

"That's right. It's okay to be good at cooking, Yukio! We saw your bento that one day, after all," the shortest, darker brown-haired girl, Omoto, insisted. Then she raised a loose fist to her smiling lips. "Girls like that kind of skill."

While the other two giggled like mad at the apparently true statement, Rin inwardly fumed. How _dare_ they belittle him like that, claiming he couldn't cook for shit just because he looked like a thug? He didn't even look that much like a thug, anyway. Dropping his bag in the basket Yukio still loyally held for him, Rin grabbed his brother's arm and began dragging him away, towards the checkout, not even bothering to speak to the trio of females. "C'mon, Yukio. Need to get home so I can get started, preferably sometime before midnight."

Yukio was more than happy to play along, putting on a look of realization that Rin could see right through. "Oh, right! Terribly sorry, ladies, but it is pretty late. See you, ah, later, okay?" he gave them a little wave, his longer legs enabling him to pass Rin with a couple strides. He didn't even bother to wait for their reply.

Kashino smiled sweetly. "Y-yes! Good night, Okumura!" she called with a wave of her own, her two buddies following her lead and echoing her words.

The two kept up their blinding pace until safely within the express checkout line, both breathing slightly harder than normal. Rin didn't want to let go of Yukio's arm, but what else was he going to do? They were in a store, after all. So a quite reluctant older Okumura twin removed his hand from his younger brother's arm and piled what little groceries they had onto the conveyor belt.

"...Thanks for that, brother," Yukio muttered, lifting the bag of rice out of his basket as Rin placed their bag of seafood down on the belt.

Rin chuckled. "Yeah, no problem," he verbally waved the thanks away, standing back up straight. "Must be nice, getting hit on so much. Why you and not me? I'm clearly the hotter of us."

Yukio scoffed, putting the basket in the little stack next to the line to return it. "I'd gladly trade the attention," he replied. "And you're attractive, yes, but only on the outside. Your personality leaves something to be desired."

The smile (legit and oh so satisfying) he wore alerted Rin to the teasing nature of the statement. Though the bluenette was more distracted by the fact he'd been called attractive.

Daemon!Rin popped up on his right shoulder, chest puffed out and arms crossed with a smirk on his face. "At least the guy's got taste," he said cheekily.

Angel!Rin appeared on his left, smiling despite himself. "Now, now, don't get overconfident!" he warned, holding up an index finger. "He said you're good-looking, but that doesn't mean he's attracted to you."

Daemon!Rin pulled a pitchfork out of nowhere, throwing it across Rin's front to hit the angel in the side and make him cry aloud and fall over. "Shut up! It's a start, at least! Christ, are you _with_ us or _against_ us?"

The robed angel quickly stood back up, frowning intensely. "Well, of course, as long as I deem it beneficial for him," he retorted, straightening out his halo. "I'm just saying to be cautious and to not get overexcited, you moron!"

Rin frowned at both of them. "The hell are you guys even here for? There's no epic moral decision going on," he pointed out, flicking them both of his shoulders and effectively ending the conversation.

Yukio looked at him. "Hm?"

Rin shook his head, reaching a hand into Yukio's right pocket. "Nothing. Just that your personality isn't much better," he slipped his twin a smirk as he fished out Yukio's wallet and proceeded to pay for their goods.

Yukio chuckled. "I suppose you've got me there."

The two exited the store shortly thereafter, still wary of the Yukio fan club that lingered inside. The student stores were a fair ways away from their dorm, so they'd be walking for at least ten minutes. The walk there had been uneventful, and so far the trek back seemed like it wouldn't raise the bar any. Rin shifted his grip on the bag he held; now he held it in his left hand, and Yukio held his own bag in his right. His fingers twitched. Now, all that was left...

"Say, Rin," Yukio began abruptly, jolting Rin out of his concentration.

"Er, yeah?" he answered, silently cursing his hesitation.

When he looked over to glance up at his younger brother, he locked gazes with greenish blue orbs that made his breath hesitate nearly every time. "Why is it that you wanted me to come, anyway?" he asked, his mind apparently failing to see the logic.

Rin smiled. Screw logic; "Because I like spending time with you, Yukio," he answered truthfully, turning back to face his front. The streetlights illuminated their path. He chuckled. "But I guess you're kinda regretting it, since we got to see your favorite bunch of girls."

To his surprise, Yukio also chuckled. "Not at all," he replied, making Rin turn to look at him again. His gaze had shifted back to ahead of him. "It was nice to get a break from my work, my classmates aside. And I like spending time with you, too," he said, closing his eyes momentarily to smile a small yet blinding smile that made Rin's heart skip a beat or twelve. His face had almost turned red. Did Yukio even realize what those words did to him...? His little brother really could be dense sometimes.

Swallowing what little saliva was left in his mouth, Rin decided it would be on that note he made his move. Throwing caution to the light breeze that surrounded them, he grabbed Yukio's hand with his own, looking anywhere but directly at him. _Damn, I feel all nervous. Keep your cool. You're cool. You're so cool, you're freezing._

He felt Yukio's gaze on him when he looked over curiously and linger on him when he was regarded with an expression Rin couldn't make out in his peripheral vision. When the brunette's head turned away, though, he didn't take his hand with him. In fact, he squeezed Rin's hand back lightly, calloused fingers curling around the back of the older's hand. The boy could hardly believe his hardened teacher would put up with such a thing, but he was never one to turn down good signs such as this. Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Rin squeezed back as much as he dared also, relaxing into the action as they walked, out in plain sight (though at this hour passerby were pretty scarce), holding each other's hand shamelessly.

The two walked like that the whole time, neither saying so much as another word, all the way back to their shared dorm.

—**e**—**n**—**d**—**c**—**h**—**a**—**p**—**t**—**e**—**r** —

_**A/N: *Okay, I don't like using Japanese terms in my stories, but here it just seemed to fit. Blame Wikipedia if I'm off any-karaage = bits of deep fried meat, teriyaki = grilled/pan fried meat or veggies, tempura = lightly battered and fried seafood or veggies, yakitori = skewered and barbecued/pan-fried chicken parts, tataki = very rare/raw sliced tuna or beef steak seared on the outside and sliced, and onigiri = little rice balls wrapped around the middle with seaweed, sometimes with flavored fillings.**_

Yes, I did go rewatch episode six to get their _**(the Yukio-obsessed trio's)**__** names. Good times.**_

D'awwh, they're finally holding haaands. How sweet~ But yeah, so I'm thinking these 'Side Quest' chapters'll be a new thing: Rin and Yukio will be doing something, _**anything,**__** together, just the two of them. They'll happen sporadically and usually will not contain any sort of plotness. Don't worry, though, next chapter we'll be getting back to the main quest!**_

I hope you guys enjoy this, the 40 people that have this fic alerted. Seriously. 40 people. That's super awesome. Thanks so much for your support! And thanks to those who've reviewed! I love you! And yes, in a homo kind of way.

...well, okay, not really. :B

But I really do love yah! And on that note, we'll end this stupid A/N. Leave a review telling me _**whacha liked, didn't like, things I can improve on, etc. etc. The button's right down below!**_

'twill be continued, to be sure. C:


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